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Congressman Cohen Reacts to Supreme Court Gerrymandering Ruling

June 27, 2019

Press Release

Suggests his John Tanner Fairness and Independence in Redistricting Act remedies partisan gerrymandering

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) reacted to today’s 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court’s decision not to resolve the issue of partisan gerrymandering by pointing to a Congressional solution to the problem: his H.R. 124, the John Tanner Fairness and Independence in Redistricting Act.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

“The Supreme Court today ruled there was nothing it could do to stop partisan gerrymandering. This practice, politicians picking their voters and drawing lines to reinforce their own power, is anti-democratic and despicable. In the United States, we the people should choose our leaders, not the other way around. If the Court doesn’t think it can do anything, Congress must. That is why I introduced the John Tanner Fairness and Independence in Redistricting Act, H.R. 124 and cosponsored the For the People Act, H.R. 1. Every citizen must be able to cast a meaningful ballot and our government must be representative of the people. That is what America is all about.”

The John Tanner Fairness and Independence in Redistricting Act, named for longtime Tennessee Congressman John Tanner, would require states to take their congressional apportionment out of the political process and place it in the hands of independent redistricting commissions. The legislation was championed for years by Congressman Tanner.